This report describes a collaborative project between OCLC and OhioLINK that examined circulation in academic libraries, and includes an overview of data publicly available from the activity. The size of the combined collection and the number and diversity of participating institutions make this by far the largest and most comprehensive study of academic library circulation ever undertaken.

The goal of the study, which was limited to books and manuscripts, was to better understand the usage and collecting patterns within OhioLINK libraries.

The report provides:

an overview of the study and its outputs, including its purpose, goal, and distinctive aspects; how the data was gathered; and the location, form, and overview of derived data;

a description of how the data was analyzed, presented, and made available, both at the institutional level and for the collection of participating OhioLINK libraries;

uses for the data, conclusions, and a glossary; and

an external appendix that provides a rich set of supporting materials related to the development and conduct of the study.

The most fascinating result of the study was a test of the “80/20” rule. Librarians have long espoused the belief that 80% of a library’s circulation is driven by approximately 20% of the collection. The analysis of a year’s statewide circulation statistics would indicate that 80% of the circulation is driven by just 6% of the collection.

Gary Price (gprice@mediasourceinc.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. Before launching INFOdocket, Price and Shirl Kennedy were the founders and senior editors at ResourceShelf and DocuTicker for 10 years. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com, and is currently a contributing editor at Search Engine Land.